About

SISTERHOOD - SLICE OF LIFE FILM ABOUT TRANS WOMEN

$7,891

pledged of $5,500 goal

248

backers

WE MAY HAVE MADE OUR GOAL, BUT HELP US REACH OUR STRETCH GOAL OF $10,000

MEET THE OFFICAL CAST OF SISTERHOOD

"Three trans women, and best friends, document a year in their lives with nothing but each other and a handheld camera. Set against the complicated backdrop of a rapidly changing San Francisco, their film project finds them navigating love, loss, and forgiveness. But in each other, they discover the most complex relationship of all- Sisterhood."

Our short film sits in the vein of iconic “found footage” films like Kids (Larry Clark), crossed with the quick paced humor of Sex and the City.

SISTERHOOD is unprecedented in its portrayal of the inner lives of trans women of the “millennial” generation- and is written and directed by a trans woman herself. It is a production DIRECTED, ACTED, AND STAFFED ENTIRELY BY WOMEN.

Currently in pre-production, we hope to reach production and shooting by late November. Already casted is our lead character, Charlie, played by Rashida Renee (IG: @rashidareneeward). Our entire crew has been staffed, and we're now counting on the backing of our supporters to get our project moving forward!

Born in the Bay Area, and raised along the Santa Cruz coastline, Joan spent much of her youth in the theatre. It was there that she discovered a love of storytelling and larger than life dramatics. This hunger for creativity grew, and she continued to broaden her education of the arts with writing, painting, dance, and music.

She eventually grew out of her humble small town origins and pursued higher education at San Francisco State University. It is here she’s currently completing a Bachelor in Fine Arts, Cinema. After graduation in Spring 2017, she hopes to travel (and sleep.)

Her obsessions include everything about Beyoncé, Instagram, Pedro Almodovar films, the Real Housewives, Rihanna’s wardrobe, the Coyote Ugly soundtrack, and vintage denim. Her ultimate inspiration in life is Barbra Streisand, and hopes to one day EGOT like her hero. If she can’t EGOT, then she’d at least like a picture with Barbra.

A force of nature herself, Rashida grew up enraptured by the glamour and magic of women like Naomi Campbell, Foxy Brown, Diana Ross, and Beyoncé. With a deep knowledge of fashion lore and pop culture history, Rashida brings with her years of modeling and artistic experience. (She's also Joan's best friend and sister for life!)

Born and raised in Mexico, Charlotte has been inclined to the arts since a young age. Her experiences range from ballet to drawing and even sculpture. As the daughter of two architects, she developed a deeply analytical mindset which comes to her advantage when producing a film. Charlotte’s goal is to become not only a reputable producer, but to be part of the movement that fills the film industry with more inclusive media. She hopes to help in portraying everyday people of diverse backgrounds including but not limited to women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ communities. "SISTERHOOD is a very important film that will reminds us women are part of a colorful gender spectrum."

Jillian is a filmmaker, producer, and a student at San Francisco State University. The films she chooses to work on need to not only stand for something, be as colorful as she am. She believes that "Sisterhood is something unique and different, colorful, sincere and real.
I signed onto produce Sisterhood because everyone's story should be told. And the director is pretty rad too!"

Chantel Beam is a Cinematographer and Photographer who is based in the SF Bay Area. She studied at San Francisco State University and received her Bachelors Degree in Cinema Production in 2014. Her work has been published in print, online, and in galleries, including a showing in the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art. Chantel’s cinematography style is a mixture of dreamy and gritty, with influences that range from the darkness of Lars Von Trier’s films, to the whimsical visuals of Picnic at Hanging rock, to the extremism of John Water’s work. As an advocate for LGBTQ+ representation in the film industry both onscreen and off, she is extremely excited to be part of such a project as “Sisterhood”!

@CHANTELBEAMPHOTOGRAPHY

BUDGET

OUR BUDGET IS CURRENTLY AT $5500 DOLLARS. Again, this is a film staffed ENTIRELY BY WOMEN!

Our goals include:

Filming at iconic local SF locations

Shooting with a RED camera

Paying our actresses

Paying our entire crew

Submitting it to film festivals

Fashion forward costume design

Distribution both digitally and physically

Hosting screenings at local queer events/galleries

Collaborations with the local queer/trans community of SF

UPDATE #1 "END OF DAY ONE"

Dear backers,

I cannot begin to express how grateful I am for the outpouring of love, support, and affirmation in the 12 hours since we've launched our Kickstarter. Please continue to support us by sharing our project with friends, family, coworkers, classmates, and more

At it's core, Sisterhood is in remembrance of my sister's who've had their lives cut short by those who fear, hate, and terrorize my community. I have not forgotten you, and everything I do is in remembrance of you.

To my backers- the entire team behind Sisterhood thanks you for supporting this project, and by extension, uplifting the voices of trans women in our fight for liberation.

As Janet Mock said,

"I believe that telling our stories, first to ourselves and then to one another and the world, is a revolutionary act. It is an act that can be met with hostility, and exclusion… It can also lead to love, understanding, transcendence, and community."

With love,

Joan.

UPDATE #2" OVER 100 BACKERS!"

I cannot believe this! We're halfway there! And to top this off, we've had a 100 incredible and generous people donate to SISTERHOOD. I cannot begin to express how grateful we are!

But we're not done yet! We still need $2500, and we're counting on our backers to help make that happen!

In other exciting news, our star Rashida recently flew to NYC for some photoshoots and an art show opening based on her life and experiences! I'm so proud of my sister and all the amazing work she's been doing this last year. There is nothing more rewarding than getting the chance to collaborate with your best friend and inspiration. Please feel free to send her congratulations, she deserves it!

Until next time, know that I cannot begin to express how grateful our team is for the support and love. Continue to boost and share our project with your friends and family!

Love,

Joan.

UPDATE #3 "CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR STAR, RASHIDA RENEÉ"

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER TO OUR STAR, AND MY BEST FRIEND, RASHIDA!

Rashida recently collaborated with the photographer Elizabeth De La Piedra for a photo series titled "Rashida." It was an effort on both women's parts to document the day to day life of a black trans woman (who is also one of the internet's biggest personalities.) The project opened at 151 Gallery in New York on Tuesday, and above is Vice's writeup on the project.

This is a huge deal for both Rashida and Elizabeth! I couldn't be more proud and full of love than I am looking at all Rashida has accomplished. And it makes me even more excited that we get to create this film together!

Risks and challenges

The crew of Sisterhood is very dedicated to the project and will be trying their hardest to make sure everything goes as planned. We will be backing up all the footage on multiple drives, making sure weather conditions are good, and testing all equipment beforehand.